1. The purpose of this Act is to regulate the basic conditions that shall guarantee equality in the exercise of the subjective citizen right to the promotion of personal autonomy and care for dependent persons, according to the terms laid down in legislation, by means of the creation of a System for Autonomy and Care for Dependency, with the collaboration and participation of all of the Public Administrations and the guarantee by the General State Administration of a minimum common content of rights for all citizens in any part of Spanish State territory.

2. The System for Autonomy and Care for Dependency shall respond to a coordinated, cooperative initiative by the General State Administration and the Autonomous Communities, which shall contemplate measures in all areas affecting the dependent persons, with the participation of Local Entities where applicable.

Article 2. Definitions.

For the purposes of this Act, the following terms shall be understood to have the following meanings:

1. Autonomy: the ability to control, face and make, on one's own initiative, personal decisions on how to live in accordance with one's own standards and preferences and to carry out basic activities of daily living.

2. Dependency: the permanent state in which persons that for reasons derived from age, illness or disability and linked to the lack or loss of physical, mental, intellectual or sensorial autonomy require the care of another person/other people or significant help in order to perform basic activities of daily living or, in the case of people with mental disabilities or illness, other support for personal autonomy.

3. Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL): a person's most elementary tasks, which allow him/her to live with a minimum level of autonomy and independence, such as: personal care, basic domes-tic activities, essential mobility, being able to recognise people and objects, being able to know where one is and find one's way around, being able to understand and perform simple orders or tasks.

4. Need for support for personal autonomy: required by people that have intellectual or mental disability, in order that they may attain a satisfactory degree of personal autonomy in the community.

5. Non-professional care: care that is provided to the dependent persons in their homes, by members of their family or friends, not linked to a professional care system.

6. Professional care: care that is provided by a public institution or entity, either profit-seeking or not-for-profit, or a self-employed professional, the purposes of which include the provision of services to the dependent persons, either in their own homes or in a centre.

7. Personal assistance: service provided by a personal assistant that performs or collaborates with the dependent person's everyday tasks, with the aim of encouraging his/her independent living and promoting and reinforcing his/her personal autonomy.

8. Third sector: private organisations arising from citizen or social initiative, under various modalities that meet criteria of solidarity and general public interest and are not for profit, promoting the acknowledgement and exercise of social rights.